Assembly consisting of a hand-held tool and an attachment for hooking the tool, and the hooking attachment

ABSTRACT

Assembly consisting of a hand-held tool ( 3 ) and an attachment comprising a loop ( 4 ) designed to be threaded on to a belt ( 2 ) and provided with a catch finger ( 5 ) for the tool ( 3 ), the tool being designed to hook on to the finger ( 5 ) in the operating position before being able to swing under its own weight into a position in which locking means ( 12, 13 ) prevent it from becoming unhooked from the finger ( 5 ). The invention is particularly suitable for fastening tools.

The invention relates to the field of hand-held tools operating with anytype of power, such as electric power, thermal energy, pneumatic power,etc. following the manual operation, e.g. of a trigger, by an operator.These are essentially fastening tools intended to drive plugs into asubstrate material, such as nail drivers, hammers, etc. It is preferablethat the operators do not leave their tools lying around when they arenot in use.

The Applicant therefore had the idea of proposing an attachment forfastening a tool of this kind to the belt of an operator.

The invention therefore relates firstly to the assembly consisting of ahand-held tool and an attachment comprising a loop designed to bethreaded on to a belt and provided with a catch finger for the tool, thetool being designed to hook on to the finger in the operating positionbefore being able to swing under its own weight into a position in whichlocking means prevent it from becoming unhooked from the finger.

The locking means are advantageously provided on the catch finger.

In a preferred embodiment, the catch finger comprises an end designed tobe passed through an opening of an associated shape provided in thehandle of the tool, the end to be passed through the opening providing agroove for receiving the handle of the tool and forming the means forlocking the hooked tool in the position in which it is swung under itsown weight.

The end of the catch finger also preferably comprises an end portionmounted to be pivoted into a position for locking the hooked tool in theoperating position in case the tool should swing from the position inwhich it is swung under its own weight in the opposite direction intothe operating position as the result of an unexpected movement by theoperator.

The invention also relates by way of an intermediate means to anattachment comprising a loop designed to be threaded on to a belt andprovided with a catch finger for a tool, the finger including lockingmeans preventing the tool from becoming unhooked.

The catch finger advantageously comprises a groove for receiving thetool, the end of the catch finger comprising an end portion mounted tobe pivoted into a position for locking the hooked tool.

The invention will be more readily understood with the aid of thefollowing description of the preferred embodiment of the attachment ofthe invention and its method of use, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the attachment of the invention and a oftool to be hooked thereon after use;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view on a larger scale of the detail D₂ of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the attachment with the tool hookedthereon, but in the operating position;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, but after the tool has beenswung under its own weight, and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4, but after locking of thehooked tool.

The invention as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a loop 1, in this casealready threaded on to the belt 2 of an operator who has just finishedusing a fastening tool 3. The loop 1 is provided on its external wall 4with a catch finger 5, in this case extending substantiallyperpendicularly to this external wall from an anchoring base 6 to an end7 for passing through the handle of the tool and for locking the tool.

The anchoring base 6 comprises a retaining plate or ring (not visible inthe figure) bearing against the internal face 8 of the belt 2 andprovided with an anchoring pin 9 driven through an opening 10 providedin the belt.

A groove 11 for receiving the tool is provided between the anchoringbase 6 and the end 7 of the finger 5, forming a first stop shouldertogether with the end 7 and, more particularly, an internal portion 12.

The end 7 of the finger 5 comprises two portions 12, 13, the internalportion 12 and an external end portion 13 which is mounted to pivot froma passing-through position in which its peripheral surface 15 extendsthat 16 of the internal portion 12 to a locking position in which thetwo portions 12, 13 are substantially perpendicular to one another,crosswise (FIG. 5), in order to form a second stop shoulder. The twoportions 12, 13 are formed by two small cylinders formed around thelongitudinal axis 14 of the catch finger 5 and having a substantiallyelliptical section.

The tool to be hooked on to the finger 5 is in this case a fasteningtool, well known by the person skilled in the art. This is a hand-heldtool comprising a handle 17. An opening 18 is provided in the handle 17,having a shape corresponding to that of the two portions 12, 13 forpassing through the opening and for locking the catch finger 5, andhaving a slightly larger section, precisely so that these fingerportions can pass through the opening in the handle of the tool.

Following the description of the attachment and the tool, their use willnow be described.

Once the operator has finished using the tool, in order to hook it on tohis belt 2, he continues to hold the tool by its handle 3, i.e. in theoperating position, and engages the opening 18 in the handle over thefinger 5 by passing the end portions 12, 13 into the opening 18 in thehandle of the tool. He then allows the handle to be placed on the groove11 of the handle, then allows the tool to swing under its own weight,the nose of the tool pivoting downwards.

In this swung position, the hooked tool is locked by means of theinternal part 12 of the catch finger as a result of the fact that theopening 18 in the handle 17 has also pivoted through substantially 90°relative to this internal end portion 12, wherein the handle can come toa stop against it in the first stop shoulder 11, 12, which prevents itfrom becoming unhooked. The operator then pivots the external endportion 13 through 90° relative to the internal portion 12. In thismanner, even if the tool were to swing again in the opposite directioninto the operating position as the result of an unexpected movement bythe operator and the opening 18 in the handle 17 were to pass once againover the internal portion 12 of the catch finger 5, the handle 17 wouldcome to a stop against the external end portion 13 in the second stopshoulder 12, 13, the opening 18 remaining substantially perpendicular tothis external portion 13. The tool 3 hooked on to the finger 5 wouldcontinue to be locked.

1-9. (canceled)
 10. Assembly consisting of a hand-held tool and anattachment comprising a loop designed to be threaded on to a belt andprovided with a catch finger for the tool, the tool being designed tohook on to the finger in the operating position before being able toswing under its own weight into a position in which locking meansprevent it from becoming unhooked from the finger.
 11. Assemblyaccording to claim 10, in which the locking means are provided on thecatch finger.
 12. Assembly according to claim 11, in which the catchfinger comprises an end designed to be passed through an opening of anassociated shape provided in the handle of the tool.
 13. Assemblyaccording to claim 12, in which the end to be passed through the openingprovides a groove for receiving the handle of the tool and forms themeans for locking the hooked tool in the position in which it is swungunder its own weight.
 14. Assembly according to claim 12, in which theend of the catch finger comprises an end portion mounted to be pivotedinto the position for locking the hooked tool in the operating positionin case the tool should swing from the position in which it is swungunder its own weight in the opposite direction into the operatingposition as the result of an unexpected movement by the operator. 15.Attachment comprising a loop designed to be threaded on to a belt andprovided with a catch finger for a tool, the finger including lockingmeans preventing the tool from becoming unhooked.
 16. Attachmentaccording to claim 15, in which the catch finger comprises a groove forreceiving the tool.
 17. Attachment according to claim 16, in which thereceiving groove is formed by an end portion for passing through theopening and for locking.
 18. Attachment according to claim 17, in whichthe end portion comprises two small cylinders, an external end cylinderbeing designed to pivot relative to an internal end cylinder in order tolock the hooked tool in two respective operating and swung positions.